Metal-air cells with minimal air access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020212527-A1
Application number	US-201916726382-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 24, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Jul 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present technology provides a battery that includes an air cathode, an anode, an aqueous electrolyte that includes an amphoteric surfactant, and a housing that includes one or more air access ports defining a total area of void space (“vent area”), where
(1) the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.050 mm 2 to about 0.115 mm 2 ; or (2) the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.03 mm 2 to about 0.08 mm 2 .

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery comprising an air cathode, an anode, an aqueous electrolyte, and a housing, wherein:
the housing comprises one or more air access ports defining a vent area; the aqueous electrolyte comprises an amphoteric fluorosurfactant; and the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.050 mm 2 to about 0.115 mm 2 , or the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.03 mm 2 to about 0.08 mm 2 .

2 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is about 0.05 mm 2 to about 0.10 mm 2 .

3 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.060 mm 2 to about 0.085 mm 2 .

4 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.08 mm 2 to about 0.085 mm 2 .

5 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.04 mm 2 to about 0.07 mm 2 .

6 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.04 mm 2 to about 0.05 mm 2 .

7 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises zinc.

8 . The battery of claim 1 further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

9 . The battery of claim 8 , wherein the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent comprises lithium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, lithium peroxide, an amine, or an olivine.

10 . The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an air diffusion pad and the air diffusion pad comprises the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

11 . The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an interior surface of the housing comprising a coating of the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

12 . The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an air reservoir defined by the housing and an air diffusion layer within the battery, and the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent is deposited on a surface of the air reservoir as a powder or film.

13 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a short-chain perfluoro substituent that cannot break down to perfluorooctanoic acid.

14 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a betaine functionality.

15 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a compound of Formula (I):

wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are each independently a hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, or cycloalkyl group;
X 1 is —C(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)NR a —, —SO 2 NR a —, —CO 2 —, or —SO 2 O—;
R a is H or an alkyl group;
m and p are each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and
n and r are each independently 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

16 . The battery of claim 15 , wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each H; R 7 and R 8 are each independently C 1 -C 4 alkyl; X 1 is SO 2 or —SO 2 NR a ; R a is H; n is 2 or 3; p is 2, 3, 4, or 5; m is 3, 4, 5, or 6; and r is 1.

17 . The battery of claim 15 , wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each H; R 7 and R 8 are each independently C 1 -C 4 alkyl; X 1 is SO 2 ; n and p are 2; m is 4, 5, or 6; and r is 1.

18 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous electrolyte comprises a surfactant system.

19 . The battery of claim 18 , wherein the surfactant system comprises the amphoteric fluorosurfactant.

20 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous electrolyte comprises about 500 ppm to about 20,000 ppm lithium hydroxide.

Assignees

• Energizer Brands Llc

Inventors

• Pozdol Ian
• Syvertsen Marc
• Rubsam Tony
• Schnetz Kokkie

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/1385

  Hybrid cells · CPC title

• H01M50/394

  Gas-pervious parts or elements · CPC title

• H01M2300/0014

  Alkaline electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title